Fuel efficiency indicator



Aug. 3, 1954 J. E. SAUL, SR

FUEL EFFIC IENCY INDICATOR Filed Feb. 27, 1953 dill! INVENTOR.

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ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 3, 1954 UNITED STATES FATENT OFFICE FUELEFFICIENCY INDICATOR John E. Saul, Sin, South Orange, N. J assignor toHoward W. Saul, Paramus, N. J.

Application February 27, 1953, Serial No. 339,214

5 Claims. 1

This invention relates to measuring instruments more particularly to aninstrument for measurement of actual against normal or desired fuelconsumption, thereby providing a visual aid for accurately checking theefiiciency of performance of the motor in operation.

The invention may be applied to a motor with out making any alterationin the motor itself,

r may be built into the control panel associated with said motor, or maybe made as a portable unit for rapid connection to the motor to betested. lhe instrument may be mounted, for exam le, on a test console tobe used by maintenance and servicemen as a rapid method of determiningfuel efficiency without making fuel line connections. It avoidsobjections present in other types of meters-for example, fiowmeters,which are costly and necessitate breaking into the fuel line, addingresista -oc to the flow plus creating danger of leakage. Further, in theflowmeter type of instrument, there is no standard for corn parison.

In the instrument of this invention, efficiency of performance isindicated by a needle movable, responsive to actual fuel consumption,across a scale bearing calibrated markings indicating normal or desiredpower output for fuel consumption for given periods of time of actualoperation of the motor.

Thus, the scale, indicates normal fuel consumption, may be calibratedfor example to bear percentage or units of fuel consumption markings, sothat, by observing the position of the needle on that scale one mayreadily determine the degree to which the actual fuel consumption of thevehicle corresponds with the desired or normal uel consumption.

The invention is designed to further provide a relatively foolproofmeasuring instrument which may be built in as original equipment, may beinstalled as supplementary or extra equipment, or used as a testing unitseparate and apart from the motor apparatus.

The instrument provides a rapid and accurate means for indicating thatthere is something amiss in the system, thereby preventing a situationof progressive deterioration of inemciency from continuing to a timewhen serious damage may result. Thus the instrument will provide animportant preventative, indicating potential trouble practically as soonas the source thereof is initiated.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a vertical sectional view of a measuring instrument embodyingthe invention,

2 is a front elevational view thereof, taken on line 2-2 of Fig. l,

3 is a similar (but fragmentary) view, showing the scale bearing thecalibration markings for indicating normal fuel consumption inpercentage units as distinguished from whole unit markings shown in Fig.2 and Fig. i is an enlarged fragmentary view, taken on line -:i of Fig.1.

As shown in the drawings, the instrument of my invention may becontained within the housing is of any suitable outline, provided with amovable scale ll having markings thereon such as, for example, quantitymarkings i2-l3 (Fig. 2) which might, for example, be calibrated toindicate normal power output for one complete rotation of scale ll-forexample, miles per gallon, or the percentage of normal power output forone complete rotation of scale 5!, as shown at lil, Fig. 3. Scale ll maybe driven in one direction, as, for example, counterclockwise, by meanssuch as the gear means it, 55 connected to a time-int rval works such asit. Timer 1%, in turn, would preferably be connected to the electricalcircuit controlling the motor whose fuel consumption is to be measured,by any suitable means such as the cable I'l, whereby the timer l6 wouldbe energized only at such times as the motor to be tested by scale H islikewise energiaecl. Marl ings such as O39 on scale l i may be used toindicate, for example, the normal or estimated power output for a giventime interval of operation of the motori'or example, for a 2hourinterval of time under normal operating conditions. Instead of the poweroutput markings 0-30 (which might mean miles per gallon) the scale 2 Imay have percentage markings, such as, for example, fragmentarily shownat l8i in Fig. 3, to indicate percentages of normal output forconsumption of units of fuel during the time interval of rotation scaleH. Thus, for example, if the scale H in Fig. 2 is calibrated to indicatea rate of 30 miles or other output units for the fuel consumed duringone complete rotation of the scale ii for the predetermined timeinterval, then the percentage markings 18-19 of Fig. 3 would indicatepercentagewise efficiency of operation, likewise reflected by thequantity of fuel consumed during the passage of that time interval, aspresently more fully explained.

The markings 12-43, I8-i9, or the like on scale i! in the instrument ofmy invention, are of the following significance:

A fuel quantity rotor hub 26 is provided and rotated responsive to theconsumption of fuel by the motor, preferably in the same direction asscale Ii. Hub 2% is part of the electrical system connected to the fueltank of the motor to be tested, as by the wires from terminals 2?, 23,said terminals being also connected to the balance coil wires 29, sothat, as fuel is progressively consumed by the motor, hub will becorrespon ingly rotated (in the same direction as scale !l).

The term'mals 2t, 23 are preferably cut into the electrical circuit forthe motor so that when the latter is closed, the electrical connectionbetween the terminals 27, 23 and the fuel tank will be completed.However, it will be appreciated that there may be a lapse of timebetween the completion of the electrical circuit and actual operation ofthe motor. A fuel consumption needle is provided, to be rotatedresponsive to fuel consumption, as, for example, by providing anextended end 35 on the hub 2% which has friction sliding contact withthe shaft 3'! of needle 3%.

Pursuant to invention, there is also provided means for disengaging theshaft ill of needle 35 from hub end 36. As shown in Fig. 4, the meansmay be such to normally hold the needle 35 disengaged from hub end 35.In the form shown in Figs. 1 and 4, this means comprises a bearing ii}secured to the free end of spring 4i whose other end is fixed to astationary part such as the top of electromagnet is. The bearing is isadapted to reciprocate responsive to the spring iii in an open housing53 positioned on electromagnet ii. The lower end it of the needle may bepointed, the bearing 46 being preferably correspondingly recessed, asshown in Fig. 4, so that the needle may rotate unimpaired on thenon-rotatable bearing 49. The shaft 3? of the needle is preferably madeof metal so that the lower end thereof will be attracted toelectromagnet 412 when connected to the circuit for the motor by wiresd5, Gt. A further feature of the inven tion is the energizing ofelectromagnet 52 only during actual operation of the motor. To that end,wires it, to are preferably connected to a vacuum-actuated switch orsolenoid which is actuated responsive to a vacuum force exerted by theoperating motor; any other mechanism operative only on actual operationof the motor may be interposed between the electromagnet 32 and themotor circuit, whereby electromagnet 62 will be energized only when themotor is in actual operation. as a result of such arrangement, needleshaft 311' will be drawn downwardly against the tension of the sprin lland to the approxi mate position of the parts shown in full lines inFigs. 1 and only when the motor is in actual operation. Otherwise, whenelectromagnet i2 is not energized, spring ll will urge the needle 31away from electromagnet 32 so that the free 7 upper end ill of theneedle 35 will impinge against stop member 58, preventing rotation ofneedle 35 during rotation of rotor 25. By this arrangement, for example,when the rotor 25 rotates, for example, on filling the fuel tank, or onshutting of the motor, fuel consumption needle 35 will be held againstrotation.

In the particular form of the scale ii shown in Figs. 2 and 3, there arecolor marking bands l2, l3 on said scale (red and green for example)which would indicate, if the needle 35 were in the red region iii, thatthe rate of fuel consumption was too great, whereas, if it were in the"green section it, that would indicate that the rate of fuel consumptionwas good. This would provide a broad spot check on scale i i. Wherepercentage scale markings, such as shown at It-ls in Fig. 3, are used,the position of needle 35 immediately indicates a rate of percentage ofefficiency of the motor from a fuel consumption standpoint. If themarkings l2i3 of scale i l of 2 are calculated on units of output perunits of fuel consumed, as, for example, miles per gallon of fuelconsumed, the observer may readily note the rate of yield of miles pergallon as marked by fuel consumption needle 35 on time interval scale iiat any time during the 360 degree rotation of the scale 5 i.

It will be noted that scale 8 i rotates responsive to time periods ofoperation of the fuel-consuming motor being measured-for example,counterclockwise. Needle 35 rotates in the same direction responsive tofuel consumption in the fuel tank as reflected by rotation of hub 2'8driving needle 35 in one direction only. The needle 35 is held againstthe stop 58 responsive to action of spring di and inactivity ofelectromagnet 52 while the fuel consuming motor is not operated-forexample, while the fuel reservoir is being refilled. Thus rotation ofhub clockwise, i. e., counter to its direction of rotation responsive tofuel consumption, in reflecting the fuel refilling operation, would notcorrespondingly rotate needle 35. The same objective is attained by thedelay in releasing needle 35 from hub 58 until the motor is in actualoperation as reflected by electrical connections Q5, to a switchoperated only by actual operation of the motor. In place ofunidirectional means iil, ii, 58, hub 26 and needle 35 may have otheruni-directional driving means as will be apparent from the presentdescription of the invention, such other forms shall be deemed withinthe spirit and scope of the invention.

The stop 33 may be secured to a reset knob 49 so that fuel consumptionneedle 35 may be reset the user from time to time; housing id may beprovided with a transparent face 59 to facilitate reading the instrumentthere through. Tim r motor iii may be provided with a reset such as 55.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing description that theinstrument of this invention may be manufactured in many differentforms.

In using the instrument, the fuel consumption needle 35 may, forexample, be initially set so as to register that marking on scale H,which indicates average rate of unit output efficiency as reflected inthe fuel consumption of the motor in question. Scale ii may be marked aspredetermined for the purpose. As the scale i l rotates responsive topassage of time, if the fuel consumption needle 35 keeps pace with thatrotation responsive to r tor hub 25 rotating synchronously with or moreslowly than scale H as the fuel is concur. ed at the average rate, theobserver would note that consumption is normal. On the other hand, ifthe needle 35 rotates more rapidly than the scale ii, due to a morerapid consumption of fuel, then the needle 35 will indicate on the scaleii a lesser efliciency-a lesser number of miles, for example, coveredper unit of fuel consumed. Likewise, it will h noted that the color arcsi2, E3 on scale ii would enable one to tell a glance whether th needle35 i in the good range of between 50% and efficiency as in Figs, 2 and 3or in the bad red region E2 of scale i l, which is the region betweenfifty per cent and zero efficiency, indicating that the motor isconsuming a greater than normal amount of fuel due to some conditionwhich should be promptly remedied. The fuel hub 26 may have fixedthereto a fuel quantity pointer 25 movable across a fixed scale 32marked with numbers of unit-of-fuel in the tank noted by the position ofpoint 25 between E and F markings as shown in Fig.3.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the measuring instrument ofmy invention provides a continuously visible means for determiningengine fuel efficiency, without reference to charts or graphs. Theinstrument continuously operates during the operation of th engine withwhich it is associated and does not require resetting at all, unless itis desired to reset the same after the cause of engine inefficiency hasbeen corrected, for example.

The term normal in the specification refers to predetermined or selectedstandard conditions relative to which the scale II is calibrated for agiven period of operation. As conditions of op eration vary, it is notintended to imply that merely operating an indicator dial by a constantspeed device would produce the continuous normal operatingcharacteristics of an engine under all conditions.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A measuring instrument for measurement of actual against predictednormal fuel consumption of a motor for different periods of operation ofthe motor, comprising a rotatable scale, means for driving said scale atconstant speed based on time intervals of motor operation, calibrationmarkings thereon for indicating the said predicted normal rate of fuelconsumption of the motor, a needle mounted on a shaft coaxial with theaxis of rotation of said scale and movable responsive to the fuelconsumption of the engine 6 for said time intervals of its operation,both the scale and needle being movable in the same direction, relativemovement between the scale and needle in the same direction beingindicative of deviation free from the predicted normal rate.

2. In a measuring instrument as set forth in claim 1, an electromagnetaxially aligned with the needle shaft, and clutching mean interposedaxially intermediate the said shaft and electromagnet for moving saidneedle axially away from the electromagnet and to an inoperativeposition when the electromagnet is not energized.

3. In a measuring instrument as set forth in claim 1, means urging saidneedle in on axial direction to an inoperative position andelectromagnetic means for moving said needle in opposite axial directionto an operative position responsive to and during periods of operationof said motor.

4. In a measuring instrument as set forth in claim 1, balance coilselectrically connected to the fuel reservoir to set up an electricalfield on changes in the level of fuel in said reservoir, a hubfrictionally connected to said needle shaft, said hub being axiallyrotatably disposed centrally of the balance coils so as to be rotatedthereby responsive to such changes.

5. In a measuring instrument as set forth in claim 1, said means fordriving said movable scale including an electric clock mechanismconnected to the motor operating electrical circuit and therebyenergized only on operation of said motor.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,914,946 Glick June 20, 1933 2,505,237 Dwyer Apr. 25, 1950

